NLL

NLL Notes: Smith Hit On Dawson Deemed Legal

Rory Smith
knocked Dan Dawson out of Saturday's East final, but the league
review of the hit resulted in no further disciplinary action (Smith
was not penalized in the game). (Larry Palumbo)

Rory Smith will face no league discipline for knocking Dan
Dawson out of the Buffalo-Rochester playoff game last Saturday
night.

Dawson accepted a pass in Buffalo's end of the floor in the
third minute of the second quarter, stepped around a defender, and
came face to face with Smith. The Buffalo defenseman had his stick
over his head when he lowered it to check Dawson, who fell to the
floor upon impact. No penalty was assessed.

Dawson, who had scored two goals in the first quarter, left
groggily and did not return to the game. Rochester won 13-8 to tie
the home-and-home set 1-1 and, after a 10-minute minigame could not
decide things, Cory Vitarelli scored in sudden-death OT to advance
the Knighthawks to the championship series.

Knighthawks coach Mike Hasen was under the impression Dawson had
been struck on the chest when he said during a league conference
call Wednesday that he anticipated Dawson would be in the lineup
for the start of the championship series in Calgary on Saturday
night.

The league reviewed the Smith-on-Dawson contact and issued the
following statement Thursday: ''No supplemental discipline is
warranted as the check applied by Buffalo player Rory Smith on
Rochester player Dan Dawson was applied on the shoulder area of
Dawson while he had possession of the ball.''

LIVE TV FOR CHAMPION'S CUP

TSN2 in Canada and ESPN3 in the United States will carry the
Rochester-at-Calgary championship Game 1 live at 9 p.m. ET Saturday
night from the Saddledome, the NLL announced Thursday, adding that
broadcast details for Game 2 in Rochester on May 31 will be
announced next week.

LET'S GO BACK TO SINGLE-GAME ELIMINATIONS

The multiple-game format for division and league finals this
year was tried once before in the indoor pro league. In 1998,
Philadelphia won 16-12 at home and 17-12 in Baltimore to win the
title. Fine, the Wings took it 2-0. That was clearcut, and the
league killed the format.

Now we have the second experiment with this system, 16 years
later, and some fans and at least a few innocent bystanders are
scratching their heads because it hasn't been so clearcut this
time.

The No. 1 (Edmonton, 16-2) and No. 2 (Rochester, 14-4) overall
playoff seeds had a bye week before starting on the road. Opening a
playoff series at home is usually an advantage. The lower-seeded
team should not have that advantage.

Neither Edmonton nor Rochester benefitted from the week off and
lost to lower-seeded (Calgary, 12-6, and Buffalo, 8-10) but
revved-up- opponents who were coming off invigorating first-round
wins played in the single-game elimination format.

Edmonton and Rochester then won the home Game 2s of their
division finals at home to force 10-minute minigames in which
Edmonton fell 2-1 to Calgary and was out while Rochester beat
Buffalo 2-1 in overtime to advance.

Let's suggest the 2014 NLL format to the NFL. Think they'd go
for a two-game Super Bowl? With a 10-minute tiebreaker tacked
on?

POULIN RISES TO THE OCCASION

Goaltender Mike Poulin's play in the 10-minute minigame that
Calgary won 2-1 was a big reason why the Roughnecks advanced to the
finals against Rochester. When it mattered most, Poulin was at the
top of his game. Edmonton's Jeremy Thompson won all four faceoffs
and the Rush outshot Calgary 10-6 in extra time, but they lost
because of Shawn Evans' two goals and Poulin's knack of rising to
the occasion.

TAVARES WON'T BE CAUGHT

John Tavares scored seven goals in the 2014 playoffs to pad his
lead atop the list of all-time playoff goal scorers. J.T. is 25
ahead of the next active player, John Grant Jr., so he'll be
retired for many years before anyone comes close. The leaders:

ROCHESTER HAS WON FOUR TITLES

This will be Rochester's ninth appearance in the final. The
Knighthawks won four of the previous eight _ three on the road and
one at home.

In 1997, the Knighthawks went into Buffalo and defeated the
Bandits 15-12. Current Buffalo GM Steve Dietrich tended goal for
the 'Hawks and got the MVP nod after making 54 saves.

In 2007, Rochester would have been at home for the title game
had a circus not previously booked Blue Cross Arena. There was a
team in Arizona at that time and it was the other finalist. The
teams agreed to decide things on the home floor of the Sting in
Glendale. The Knighthawks won 13-11. John Grant Jr. was MVP.

In 2012, the Knighthawks rallied to defeat Edmonton 9-6 in
Rochester. Cody Jamieson was the MVP.

In 2013, Rochester again represented the East. West winner
Washington was a higher seed so got home floor. A youth conference
was booked into its Everett arena so the Stealth opted to stage the
final in Langley, British Columbia. The Hawks won 11-10. Jamieson
was again named MVP.

VINC WAS LOSER LAST TIME CALGARY WON TITLE

Calgary has won two NLL titles.

The most recent triumph was a 12-10 home decision in 2009 over
the New York Titans, who had moved to Orlando by the time the next
season rolled around. Five of the 2014 Roughnecks _ Dane Dobbie,
Jeff Shattler, Andrew McBride, Mike Carnegie and Scott Ranger _
played in the 2009 final, and current coaches Curt Malawsky and
Bruce Codd were also in uniform. Josh Sanderson was named MVP.
Calgary outshot New York 50-42. Matt King was the winning
goaltender, and none other than current Rochester goalie Matt Vinc
was in goal for the Titans.

Other players from that last team to play out of New York who
were still playing in the NLL this year include Buffalo's Rory
Smith, Philadelphia's Jordan Hall, Colorado's Casey Powell and
Toronto's Pat Merrill and Bill Greer.

Calgary's other title win was in 2004, which was only its third
year in the league. Goalie Curtis Palidwor was named MVP after
making 41 saves in a 14-11 home win over Buffalo.

CALGARY IN FIRST ROAD PLAYOFF GAMES IN SIX YEARS

Beginning with their 2009 title win at home and last Saturday
night in Edmonton, the Calgary Roughnecks played 11 straight home
playoff games. They have been so consistently good during regular
seasons that they usually enter the playoffs as one of the top
seeds.

COREY SMALL RETURNS

It is great to hear that Edmonton Rush forward Corey Small, who
missed the entire NLL season while rehabbing from a knee injury, is
playing again. He scored four goals for the Victoria Shamrocks in
their Western Lacrosse Association season opener earlier this week.
Rhys Duch of the NLL's Vancouver Stealth also scored four for the
Shamrocks in a 13-13 tie with the Nanaimo Timbermen. Calgary
Roughnecks players Scott Ranger, Karsen Leung, brothers Jon and
Greg Harnett and Dan MacRae will join the Shamrocks when the NLL
final is complete.

TIME LINE

May 17, 2008: Buffalo defeated Portland 14-13
in front of a sellout home crowd of 18,690 to win the NLL
championship. Mark Steenhuis scored five goals to earn the MVP
nod.

May 27, 1990: Identical twins Paul and Gary
Gait, who helped Syracuse to NCAA titles in 1988, 1989 and 1990,
were drafted and signed to play with the Detroit Turbos.